updated 06:05 am EST, Mon March 4, 2013

Galaxy Note 8.0 set to arrive in Charcoal Black as well as white

Although Samsung revealed its iPad mini-challenging Galaxy Note 8.0 last week at MWC, it only revealed a white version, which was slightly unusual given its propensity to offer models in at least two color variants. A leak courtesy of Phone Arena suggests that anomaly will soon be corrected, as it looks set to be joined by 'Charcoal Black' model as well. No details about specifications have been revealed, but it is safe to assume that they should be identical to the white variant.

In our hands-on with the Galaxy Note 8 we found that highlights included the IPS/S-LCD display and that its Galaxy Note 10.1-equalling specs (quad-core Exynos 4112 CPU clocked at 1.6GHz, 2GB RAM) ensure that it will be a sharp performer. Like the iPad mini, which seems to be outrunning the larger 9.7-inch iPad in the sales charts, the Galaxy Note 8 may also appeal to users as being just the right size and pricing combination.

The Galaxy Note 8 will also ship with its Wacom co-developed S-pen, which has proven to be, along with its Android 4.1.2 OS, the greatest point of differentiation between Samsung's tablets and Apple's capacitive touch-only approach to its iPad line up. However, Samsung has had to more heavily customize the OS and develop device-centric apps to enable the S-pen to shine. Although offering additional differentiation, it can result in software updates taking significantly longer to reach its non-Nexus branded devices.